Boracay & Siargao: 20 routes

Powder-white sand and sunset sails on one island, reef breaks, mangrove lagoons and coconut roads on the other: twenty slow routes through two very different Philippine islands.

I came to Boracay expecting a postcard and found one, but only for about the first hour. White Beach really is that pale and that soft, and the sunsets really do stop the whole island. What surprised me was everything around the postcard: the old double-outrigger sailboats still working off the sand, the wind-beaten east coast where the kiteboarders live, the small coves you reach on foot, and the mainland of Aklan, with its weaving looms and its mangroves, an hour away.

Siargao, far to the south-east on the Pacific edge, is the other half of this page. It is slower, greener and rougher at the edges: surf, lagoons, rock pools and long roads through coconut palms. Both islands change fast, and so do their fees, rules and boat schedules, so treat everything here as a starting point and check locally before you go.

Practical tips first

White Beach from Station 1 to Station 3

White Beach & the stationshalf a dayEasy

A long, barefoot walk down one of the most famous beaches in Asia, from the quiet palms of Station 1 to the fishing-village end of Station 3.

Sunset on a paraw sailboat

White Beach & the stations1 eveningEasy

Sitting on the netting of a wooden double-outrigger as it skims across the bay at sunset, the island’s most beautiful hour seen from the water.

Mount Luho: the island from above

Boracay’s quieter shoreshalf a dayEasy

The highest point on a small, flat island, with a lookout that shows both coasts at once and makes sense of Boracay’s shape.

Puka Shell Beach and the wild north tip

Boracay’s quieter shoreshalf a dayEasy

A long, wilder beach of coarse shell-sand and rough surf at the northern end of the island, where Boracay feels closest to how it used to be.

Island hopping around Boracay

Around Boracayhalf a day to 1 dayEasy

A slow loop by outrigger boat past caves, coral gardens and tiny islets, with snorkelling stops and a swim off a limestone cove.

Bulabog Beach and the kite season

Boracay’s quieter shoreshalf a day to several daysModerate

The wind-blown east coast, where dozens of bright kites fill the sky during the north-east monsoon and you can watch, or learn, from a sheltered lagoon.

Diniwid Beach and the cliffside path

Boracay’s quieter shoreshalf a dayEasy

A short walk around the headland from White Beach to a small, quiet cove, along a path cut into the rocks above the sea.

Ilig-Iligan and the quiet east coast

Boracay’s quieter shoreshalf a dayEasy

A little-visited beach with rocky caves on the north-east coast, a reminder that Boracay still has corners where you can be almost alone.

D’Talipapa, paluto dinner and the evening beach path

White Beach & the stations1 eveningEasy

Choose fish at the wet market, have it cooked to order next door, then stroll the lantern-lit beach path as Boracay’s evening comes alive.

Ariel’s Point: cliff jumping on the mainland coast

Around Boracay1 dayModerate

A rocky headland on the coast of Buruanga, where wooden platforms of different heights invite you to leap into clear, deep water.

Kalibo: piña looms, Ati-Atihan and the mangrove boardwalk

Around Boracay1 dayEasy

A day on the Aklan mainland, from workshops where pineapple fibres become gossamer cloth to a long boardwalk through replanted mangroves.

Cloud 9: the boardwalk and the surf at dawn

General Luna & Cloud 9half a dayEasy (to watch); Hard (to surf the reef)

The world-famous reef break that put Siargao on the map, best seen at sunrise from the end of a long wooden boardwalk.

General Luna after dark: food stalls and the Tourism Road

General Luna & Cloud 91 eveningEasy

An evening in Siargao’s little surf capital, from sunset on the seawall to grilled skewers, fresh kinilaw and a slow walk under the palms.

The coconut palm roads and the Maasin river swing

General Luna & Cloud 9half a dayEasy

A ride through endless coconut palms to a river where a bent palm leans over green water, perfect for swinging, swimming and floating downstream.

Naked, Daku and Guyam: the three-island hop

Siargao’s islands & lagoons1 dayEasy

A sandbar with no trees, a big island with a fishing village and a tiny palm-crowned islet: Siargao’s classic boat day in one easy loop.

Del Carmen mangroves and Sugba Lagoon

Siargao’s islands & lagoons1 dayEasy

A boat ride through one of the largest mangrove forests in the Philippines to a hidden lagoon of jade water ringed by limestone and jungle.

Sohoton Cove and the stingless jellyfish of Bucas Grande

Siargao’s islands & lagoons1 long dayModerate

A long boat trip to a hidden cove entered through a low cave mouth, with lagoons of stingless jellyfish, cave pools and limestone cliffs.

Magpupungko rock pools at low tide

Northern Siargaohalf a dayEasy

Natural tidal pools that appear as the sea retreats, with clear water, coral rock and a giant boulder balanced on the shore.

North to Pacifico and Burgos: the island’s quiet end

Northern Siargao1 day or overnightModerate

A long ride to the far north of Siargao, where beaches are empty, surf breaks are uncrowded and life moves even more slowly.

A rainy-day loop: Tayangban Cave Pool and Taktak Falls

Northern Siargao1 dayModerate

When the sea is rough, head inland to wade through a cave river into a hidden pool and find a waterfall in the forest.

Prices, opening hours and rules change. Treat these notes as a starting point and check current information before you go.